Boat hoists

ABSTRACT

A novel boat hoist including a supporting framework which is designed to be readily assembled and installed wherever desired, said hoist apparatus featuring a new and improved manuallyactuated winch assembly adapted to simultaneously actuate lifting members positioned beneath the bow and stern portions of a boat to smoothly and easily raise said boat out of the water as well as to positively lower the boat into the water when desired, said improved elevating mechanism being simpler in design and operation than those heretofore employed in boat hoists of the general type herein concerned.

United States Patent Sarno 1 Oct. 10, 1972 [54] BOAT HOISTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] Inventor: Ric a d Sarno, New i Wis. 570,080 1/1933 Germany ..187/20 [73] Assrgnee: lxgle sure Products, Inc., Milwaukee, Primary Emminer Ger a1 d M Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Frank E. Werner [22] Filed: Jan. 22, 1971 Attorney-Morsell & Morsell A novel boat hoist including a supporting framework LS. CL is designed to be readily assembled and in- [51] Int. Cl stalled wherever desired, hoist apparatus featur- [58] Field Of Search l l ing a new and improved manually-actuated winch as- 254/l39.1, 144, 169, 175.3, 148; 187/20, 22 sembly adapted to simultaneously actuate lifting members positioned beneath the bow and stem portions of 5 R fe Cit d a boat to smoothly and easily raise said boat out of the water as well as to positively lower the boat into the UNITED STATES P TENTS water when desired, said improved elevating mechanism being simpler in design and operation than 3,077,742 2/1963 Brown ..254/ 144 X those heretofore employed in boat hoists of the 3,012,757 12/1961 Marzolf ..254/l44 general type herein concerned 3,275,167 9/1966 Godbersen ..214/l A 710,170 9/ 1902 Weindorf ..6l/65 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDBBI 101972 INVENTOR RICHARD L. SARNO My MM ATTORNEYS BOAT HOISTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present inventionrelates to mechanical hoists for raising and lowering boats into and out of the water.

2. Description of the Prior Art Mechanical hoists are commonly employed for elevating motorboats, launches, sailboats, and other relatively small craft out of the water when the boat is not in use so that the boat will not be buffeted by the wind and waves and knocked against an adjacent pier or dock, which can result in severe damage to the boat.

Examples of prior hoists of the general type herein concerned are disclosed in the following US Pats: No. 3,265,024; No. 3,169,644; No. 3,177,668; and No. 3,077,742.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As hereinabove mentioned, the present invention provides a new and improved boat hoist featuring a novel manually-operated winch arrangement for raising and lowering a boat which is simpler but functionally superior to the winch assemblies or other elevating means heretofore employed in boat hoists.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved winch cable and pulley arrangement which is not only'superior in operation to the elevating devices employed in conventional boat hoists, but which is less expensive in design and construction.

A further object is to provide an improved boat hoist as described wherein the boat is not only elevated smoothly and easily, but always in a perfectly level plane.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat hoist which is adapted not only to raise a boat out of the water but which hoist also lowers a boat into the water by a positive lowering action, in contrast to many conventional hoists which merely allow the boat to descend into the water by gravity, which is not as satisfactory.

A further object is to provide a new and improved boat hoist featuring a supporting framework which can be disassembled for compact shipment or storage, and which can be quickly and easily set up and installed where desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat hoist featuring a supporting framework which is strong and reliable but which is lightweight for easy handling, as well as providing a unit which is economical to ship or transport.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a new and improved boat hoist which is simple and inexpensive in design, which is rugged and durable in construction, and which is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing, wherein there is illustrated one preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational of the improved hoist device wherein a boat is shown in full lines in an elevated position above the water, and showing said boat in broken lines in a lowered position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hoist; and

FIG. 3 is a simplified diagrammatic view of the cable and pulley lifting assembly featured in the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the improved hoist apparatus comprising the present invention is designated generally by the numeral 10, and in FIG. 1 said hoist is shown supporting a boat 11 in both an elevated (full line) position and in a lowered (broken line) position. It is to be understood, incidentally, that while the present invention is particularly well adapted for use with motorboats, launches, sailboats and other relatively small craft, said novel hoist design could also be advantageously utilized for handling larger boats as well, and the invention is by no means to be limited in this respect. Similarly, while hoists of the type herein concerned are ordinarily installed adjacent a pier or the like, to permit the raising of a boat out of the water to provide a safe mooring preventing the boat from being buffeted against the pier by the wind and waves, said hoist can be installed wherever desired by a boat owner.

As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hoist framework includes a forward end unit 12 and rearward end unit .13, including vertical, channel-shaped corner posts 14, 15, and 16, 17, respectively. Affixed to said corner posts are tubular vertical members 18 within which leg elements 19 are adjustably telescopically carried, there being foot members or plates 20 on the lower ends of said legs 19.

As best appears in FIG. 2, a transverse bar or beam 23, hereinafter referred to as a lifting beam, extends between and is vertically movably carried within the channeled corner uprights 14, 15, on the frame forward end and a similar lifting beam 24 is vertically movably carried by and between the rear uprights 16, 17 the function of which transverse bars or beams will be hereinafter described.

For added strength and rigidity the lower portions of said frame end units 12, 13, are preferably provided with cross bars 26, 27 (FIG. 2), with angled struts 28 extending therebetween.

In the illustrated form of the present invention the side portions of the framework include elongated tubular struts 29 (FIG. 2) which extend diagonally between said end units 12, 13 to tie the same together.

Preferably said connecting struts 29 are removably bolted to ears 30 projecting from the upright corner posts and can be readily connected to or disconnected therefrom when it is desired to erect or disassemble said hoist structure. As a result of the separable nature of said frame components the novel boat hoist comprising the present invention can be shipped or stored in a disassembled compact condition and then quickly and easily assembled and installed at its intended site. Moreover it can be readily disassembled and removed from the water at the end of the boating season.

With reference now to the means in the present invention for raising and lowering a boat, it will be noted that a hand wheel 33 is mounted on the comer post 16 at the rearward end of the frame, and said wheel is operatively associated with an adjacent winch housing 34 also mounted on said corner post, there being a winch pulley or cable drum 34 carried within said housing. As is shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the pulley or drum 34 has a cable 35 trained thereabout, said cable including a first portion 35' which extends downwardly and is trained under a pulley or sheave 37 mounted on the aforementioned lifting beam 24 vertically-movably carried by the rearward end of the frame. Said first cable portion 35 extends longitudinally along said beam 24 and .is trained under a sheave 38 mounted adjacent the opposite end of said beam, from which point said cable stretch 35 extends upwardly to a suitable point 39 on the frame where it is anchored or dead-ended.

With reference still to FIG. 3, a second portion 35" of said cable 35' is anchored as at 32 to a first stationary sheave 40 carried adjacent the bottom of the frame end unit 13 and is trained about a sheave 36 on the lifting beam 24, said second cable portion extending across said beam below and parallel with the first portion 35' of said cable to a sheave 41 mounted adjacent the opposite end of said beam. From said sheave 41 the second cable portion 35" extends downwardly and is trained about a second stationary sheave 42 carried by the frame therebelow, and is extended across said frame end to and under the stationary sheave 40 at the opposite end of the lifting beam 24, said cable then extending upwardly and being trained about the winch pulley 34. As will be seen, the parallel cable portions 3535K have a clamp 43 positively connecting the same intermediate the length of the lifting beam so that they will always move conjointly in the same direction, as indicated by the arrows. Thus as the cables pass through the sheaves on the beam they pay in and out and the beam is caused to move upwardly or downwardly, as desired. When said cables are not manipulated the locking action inherent in the winch worm gear causes said beam to remain effectively locked in any set position. The cable is preferably provided with a turnbuckle (not shown) for adjusting the tension thereof to always ensure desired tautness.

With the illustrated cable and sheave arrangement, when the winch pulley 34 is turned in a clockwise direction, through the manual manipulation of the wheel 33 associated therewith, the lifting beam 24 rides downwardly between the channeled frame elements 16, 17, while the turning movement of said winch counter-clockwise causes said lifting beam to move in an upward direction. As hereinabove mentioned, with the present novel and improved hoist the lifting beam will not shift from its preset position unless the winch is actuated and, in addition, a load can be applied to the beam at any point without causing said beam to rack. The winch in the preferred embodiment of the invention is geared to a ratio of 20:1, and the mechanical advantage of the present hoist is approximately 300:1, thus allowing easy manual rotation of the hand wheel when raising or lowering a boat. The exact gear ratio is not critical, of course.

The positive downward movement of the beam member 24 is one of the novel features of the present invention since it allows the positive, controlled lowering of a boat into the water, in contrast to many conventional boat hoists wherein the lowering operation is achieved solely by gravity and which is not as satisfactory since the uncontrolled gravity descent of the boat can cause the same to tip, and wherein friction frequently interferes with and prevents the smooth lowering action of the boat.

As hereinabove described, one of the other important features of the present invention is that the lifting beams 23, 24 at the forward and rearward ends of the hoist, respectively, move up and down in unison, thereby ensuring the smooth and level ascent and descent of a boat mounted on said hoist. To accomplish this objective it will be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that a torsion bar 45 extends from the winch housing 34 at the rearward end of the unit to a similar winch housing 46 carried on the upright corner post 14 at the frame forward end. Said torsion bar positively connects a winch pulley 34" within said forward housing 46 to the rearward winch pulley 34 in a manner whereby said forward pulley is turned conjointly with said rearward winch when the hand wheel 33 is rotated. In addition, the forward frame portion 12 is provided with a cable and sheave assembly (not shown) identical to that carried by the frame rearward end and hereinabove described, with the result that the lifting beams 24, 23 move upwardly and downwardly together at all times. It is to understood, incidentally, that in lieu of mounting the winch hand wheel 33 on the rearward end of the hoist frame said wheel could as well be mounted on the forward end of the unit, and the invention is not to be limited in this respect.

In the use of the present invention to raise a boat out of the water the hand wheel 33 is first turned to actuate the winch pulleys within the housings 34, 46 to simultaneously lower the forward and rearward lifting beams 23, 24 into the water to a depth below the bottom of the boat to be lifted. The boat 11 is then maneuvered into position with its bow located over the forward lifting beam 23 and its stern portion over the rearward beam 24. The hand wheel 33 is then rotated in the opposite direction and through the actuation of the associated cable and sheave assemblies hereinabove described said beams 23, 24 are elevated in unison, said beams engaging the underside of said boat and raising it out of the water to a desired height. In its elevated position above the level of the water the boat is provided with a safe mooring unaffected by wind or wave action.

When it is desired to use the boat it is merely necessary to turn the winch hand wheel 33 to lower the hoist beams 23, 24, thereby causing the boat to descend into the water. Said beams 23, 24 are lowered to a point spaced below the hull to free the boat from the hoist.

In addition to the smooth and even lifting and lowering of a boat permitted by the improved hoist comprising the present invention, one of the principal advantageous features of the invention, as previously emphasized, is the ease with which the unit can be erected and installed. In this respect, in order to assemble said hoist it is merely necessary to set up the frame end units l2, l3 and to connect the same by means of the diagonal side struts 29, which can be readily removably bolted to the projecting ears 30 on said end members. Then, when the torsion bar 45 is operatively connected between the forward and rearward winches the hoist is ready for operation.

To disassemble the present hoist, as at the end of the season, it is merely necessary to remove the connecting struts 29, and the entire assembly can be arranged in a compact condition, thereby permitting it to be. readily stored in a boathouse or other convenient location. The knock-down design of said hoist is also advantageous when transporting the unit, as is the relatively lightweight frame construction which minimizes the shipping weight of said unit. It has been found, in fact, that while most conventional boat hoists weigh approximately 600 pounds or more, in its preferred form the present unit weighs only about 200 pounds.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the invention comprises a novel boat hoist having a number of important advantages over the boat hoists in present use.

For one thing, the present hoist features an entirely new and improved cable and pulley arrangement for raising and lowering a boat which is simpler and functionally superior to the winch assemblies or other lifting mechanisms heretofore employed in boat hoists. Moreover, the present hoist is designed not only to raise a boat out of the water but is also adapted to let it down into the water by a positive lowering action, in contrast to most conventional hoists which merely allow a boat to descend by gravity.

Further advantages of the novel boat hoist comprising the present invention, as hereinabove described, are that it can be readily disassembled for compact transporting or storage, it can be quickly and easily set up and installed in the water when desired, and said hoist unit is light in weight for easy handling and economical shipment. With respect to the installation of the present apparatus in the water, incidentally, the adjustable telescopic nature of the legs 19 permit the foot elements 20 thereon to rest directly on the bottom of the lake or other body of water regardless of the contour of said lake bottom, thereby ensuring a stable and dependable installation.

It is to be understood that while one preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described herein it is contemplated that numerous variations thereof will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in the art and what is intended to be covered herein, therefore, is not only the illustrated form of the invention but also any and all variations or modifications thereof as may come within the spirit of said invention. Moreover, while the invention is intended primarily as a boat hoist it is contemplated that said apparatus could also be advantageously utilized for many other diverse purposes, including use as a stage elevator and leveler, or wherever a lifting mechanism is required for a level platform or beam, and the invention is not to be limited or confined in this respect.

What I claim is:

l. A boat hoist, comprising: a supporting frame including spaced forward and rearward end units each having a pair of spaced upright channel members, and having tubular elements secured to said uprights with legs adjustably telescopically carried in and projecting from the lower ends of said tubular elements; a plurality of connecting struts removably secured to and extending between said frame forward and rearward end units, the removable nature of said connecting struts permitting the disassembly of said frame; a horizontal lifting beam vertically-movably carried by and between said upright -channel members on the frame forward end unit; a similar horizontal lifting beam verticallymovably carried by and between the upright channel members on said frame rearward end unit; a winch housing mounted on the upper portion of one of said frame rearward end uprights; a winch housing mounted on the upper portion of the frame forward end upright on the same side of the frame as said rearward winch housing; a winch drum carried in each of said winch housings; a hand wheel mounted on said rearward frame upright adjacent said winch housing operatively associated with gears adapted to rotate the drum therein; a torsion bar extending between said forward and rearward winch housings and operatively connecting the drums therein whereby rotation of the rearward drum through the actuation of said hand wheel causes a similar and simultaneous rotation of said forward drum; a cable trained about each of said drums, each of said cables including a first portion extending downwardly from said drum and being trained about a sheave carried at the end of the adjacent lifting beam, said cable portion extending longitudinally along said beam and being trained under a sheave at the opposite end thereof, from which point said cable portion is ex tended upwardly and is anchored to the frame, and said cable including a second portion anchored to a first stationary sheave adjacent the bottom of the frame on the side of said frame carrying said winch housing and being trained about a sheave on the adjacent end of the lifting beam, said second cable portion extending longitudinally along the beam below and parallel to the first cable portion and being clampingly secured thereto for movement conjointly with said first cable portion, said second cable portion being trained about a sheave on the opposite end of said lifting beam and thence extending downwardly and about a second stationary sheave carried by the frame therebelow, said cable portion extending from said second stationary sheave across the frame and being trained under the aforementioned first stationary sheave, from which point said cable is extended upwardly and about the winch drum thereabove, said cable and sheave arrangement causing said lifting beams to move upwardly or downwardly in response to turning movement of the hand wheel, and the torsion bar connection between said winch units causing said forward and rearward lifting beams to move in unison, whereby a boat supported on said beams will be raised or lowered evenly and in a level plane.

2. A boat hoist, comprising: a frame including a forward end and a rearward end; a horizontal lifting bearn vertically and movably carried by said frame forward end; a similar horizontal lifting beam verticallymovably carried by said frame rearward end; a winch mounted on said frame; and means associated with said winch and lifting beams adapted to cause the raising and lowering of said beams upon actuation of said winch including a winch drum at both the forward and rearward ends of said frame operatively associated with said winch; means for turning said winch drums conjointly; a cable trained about each of said winch drums, each of said cables including a first portion extending downwardly from said drum and being trained about a sheave carried at the end of the adjacent lifting beam,

said first cable portion extending longitudinally along said beam and being trained under a sheave at the opposite end thereof, said cable portion being thence extended upwardly and anchored to the frame, and said cable including a second portion anchored to a first stationary sheave mounted adjacent the bottom of the frame on the side of said frame carrying said winch drum and being trained about 'a sheave on the adjacent end of the lifting beam, said second cable portion extending longitudinally along the beam below and parallel to the first cable portion and being connected thereto for movement conjointly with said first cable portion, said second cable portion being trained about a sheave on the opposite end of said lifting beam and thence extending downwardly and about a second stationary sheave carried by the frame therebelow, said cable portion extending from said second stationary sheave across the frame and being trained under the aforementioned first stationary sheave, from which point said cable is extended upwardly and about the winch drum thereabove.

3. The boat hoist recited in claim 2 wherein said frame comprises spaced forward and rearward end units separably joined by a plurality of connecting struts, said struts being adapted to be disconnected and the frame disassembled for compact storage or shipment.

4. The boat hoist recited in claim 2 wherein said frame includes a plurality of vertically-adjustable leg means. 

1. A boat hoist, comprising: a supporting frame including spaced forward and rearward end units each having a pair of spaced upright channel members, and having tubular elements secured to said uprights with legs adjustably telescopically carried in and projecting from the lower ends of said tubular elements; a plurality of connecting struts removably secured to and extending between said frame forward and rearward end units, the removable nature of said connecting struts permitting the disassembly of said frame; a horizontal lifting beam vertically-movably carried by and between said upright channel members on the frame forward end unit; a similar horizontal lifting beam vertically-movably carried by and between the upright channel members on said frame rearward end unit; a winch housing mounted on the upper portion of one of said frame rearward end uprights; a winch housing mounted on the upper portion of the frame forward end upright on the same side of the frame as said rearward winch housing; a winch drum carried in each of said winch housings; a hand wheel mounted on said rearward frame upright adjacent said winch housing operatively associated with gears adapted to rotate the drum therein; a torsion bar extending between said forward and rearward winch housings and operatively connecting the drums therein whereby rotation of the rearward drum through the actuation of said hand wheel causes a similar and simultaneous rotation of said forward drum; a cable trained about each of said drums, each of said cables including a first portion extending downwardly from said drum and being trained about a sheave carried at the end of the adjacent lifting beam, said cable portion extending longitudinally along said beam and being trained under a sheave at the opposite end thereof, from which point said cable portion is extended upwardly and is anchored to the frame, and said cable including a second portion anchored to a first stationary sheave adjacent the bottom of the frame on the side of said frame carrying said winch housing and being trained about a sheave on the adjacent end of the lifting beam, said second cable portion extending longitudinally along the beam below and parallel to the first cable portion and being clampingly secured thereto for movement conjointly with said first cable portion, said second cable portion being trained about a sheave on the opposite end of said lifting beam and thence extending downwardly and about a second stationary sheave carried by the frame therebelow, said cable portion extending from said second stationary sheave across the frame and being trained under the aforementioned first stationary sheave, from which point said cable is extended upwardly and about the winch drum thereabove, said cable and sheave arrangement causing said lifting beams to move upwardly or downwardly in response to turning movement of the hand wheel, and the torsion bar connection between said wiNch units causing said forward and rearward lifting beams to move in unison, whereby a boat supported on said beams will be raised or lowered evenly and in a level plane.
 2. A boat hoist, comprising: a frame including a forward end and a rearward end; a horizontal lifting beam vertically and movably carried by said frame forward end; a similar horizontal lifting beam vertically-movably carried by said frame rearward end; a winch mounted on said frame; and means associated with said winch and lifting beams adapted to cause the raising and lowering of said beams upon actuation of said winch including a winch drum at both the forward and rearward ends of said frame operatively associated with said winch; means for turning said winch drums conjointly; a cable trained about each of said winch drums, each of said cables including a first portion extending downwardly from said drum and being trained about a sheave carried at the end of the adjacent lifting beam, said first cable portion extending longitudinally along said beam and being trained under a sheave at the opposite end thereof, said cable portion being thence extended upwardly and anchored to the frame, and said cable including a second portion anchored to a first stationary sheave mounted adjacent the bottom of the frame on the side of said frame carrying said winch drum and being trained about a sheave on the adjacent end of the lifting beam, said second cable portion extending longitudinally along the beam below and parallel to the first cable portion and being connected thereto for movement conjointly with said first cable portion, said second cable portion being trained about a sheave on the opposite end of said lifting beam and thence extending downwardly and about a second stationary sheave carried by the frame therebelow, said cable portion extending from said second stationary sheave across the frame and being trained under the aforementioned first stationary sheave, from which point said cable is extended upwardly and about the winch drum thereabove.
 3. The boat hoist recited in claim 2 wherein said frame comprises spaced forward and rearward end units separably joined by a plurality of connecting struts, said struts being adapted to be disconnected and the frame disassembled for compact storage or shipment.
 4. The boat hoist recited in claim 2 wherein said frame includes a plurality of vertically-adjustable leg means.
 5. The boat hoist recited in claim 4 wherein said leg means include upright tubular elements secured to said frame end portions with legs adjustably telescopically carried in and projecting from the lower ends of said tubular elements.
 6. The boat hoist recited in claim 2 wherein said winch includes a hand wheel for manually operating the same. 